Aldi launches online shopping and will deliver wine by the case

Aldi has launched its online shopping store by selling wines by the case to bargain-hunters.

The budget German supermarket’s wine selection will be available for home delivery and pick-up from the CollectPlus parcel service.

Specialbuys - the brand’s weekly offers on everything from cycling clothes to camping gear - will be added to the site between April and June.

Although shoppers in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to order from the store - whether they live near an Aldi or not - deliveries are not available in Northern Ireland.

The cheapest box of six bottles on the site is Toro Loco Spanish Rose for £20.94, while their priciest offering is a six-bottle case of Champagne Blanc de Blanc 2010 for £119.94.

As well as the bestsellers from shops, the new website - the result of a £35 million investment - features online exclusives.

Delivery is free for orders over £50, but shoppers making smaller orders will be charged £3.

Matthew Barnes, CEO of Aldi UK, said: “In 2015, Aldi was named Multiple Wine Retailer of the Year and one in every 13 bottles of wine purchased in the UK was bought from an Aldi store.

“Starting with wines is a logical first step for us. It’s a stand-out category for Aldi and often the entry point for customers who haven’t shopped with us before.

“We regularly receive feedback from customers who are astonished by the outstanding quality of our wines and so we’re particularly keen to expand their availability into new parts of the country where we don’t currently have physical stores.”

The move forms the next step in the budget challenger’s bid to rival Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

Despite announcing its first fall in profits in five years in September, Aldi bounced back with a bumper boost in sales over Christmas, announcing a 30.1% increase in sales in the 12 weeks up to December 23 compared to the previous year.

Morrisons posted a 0.2% rise in same-stores sales for the nine weeks to January 3, while Tesco reported a 1.3% rise in like-for-like sales over the six weeks to January 9.

Aldi currently operates more than 630 UK stores and plans to open a further 83 this year. It remains on course to reach 1,000 stores by 2022.